Plant-support.



No. 687,283. Patented Nov. 26, [90L w. F. a 0. J. SPRINGER.

PLANT SUPPORT.

(Application filed Mar. 28, 1901.)

(No Model.)

UNITED STATES PATENT ()FFICE.

IVILLIAM F. SPRINGER AND OTTO J. SPRINGER, OF EDWARDSVILLE, ILLINOIS.

PLANT-SU PPO RT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 687,283, dated November 26, 1901.

Application filed March 2 8, 19Q1. Serial No. 53,302. (No model.)

To all whom; it may concern:

Be it known that we, WILLIAM F. SPRINGER and OTTO J. SPRINGER, citizens of the United States, residing at Edwardsville, in the county of Madison and State of Illinois, haveinvented a new and useful Plant-Support, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to plant-supports, and has for its object to provide an improved device of this character which is especially designed for usein connection with ordinary flower-pots and is arranged so as to be conveniently applied thereto for the purpose of supporting the growing plant. It is furthermore designed to have the device adjustable, so as to be accommodated to plants of different heights and to increase the growth and progress of the plant rather than interfere therewith.

With these and other objects in view the present invention consists in the combination and arrangement of parts, as will be hereinafter more fully described, shown in the accompanying drawings, and particularly pointed out in the appended claims, it being understood that changes in the form, proportion, size, and minor details may be mad 0 Within the scope of the claims without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

' In the drawings, Figure l is a perspective view of the present device applied to a flowerpot for the support of a plant. Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail plan view of the plant-embracing frame. Fig. 3 is adetailperspective view of that portion of the frame which is adjustably, mounted upon the supportingstandard of the device. Fig. 4 is a detail perspective view of the bracket for connecting the standard to a flower-pot. Fig. 5 is a detail plan view of a modified form of plantembracing frame.

Like characters of reference designate corresponding parts in all of the figures of the drawings.

Referring to the drawings, 1 designates a straight metallic rod of suitable length which is designed to be thrust downwardlyinto the earth contained within an ordinary flowerpot 2 and located'adjacent to the side thereof. In order to give the rod or standard a more rigid support than that afforded by the embrace of the earth in the pot, there is provided a bracket consisting of an eye or loop 3 for the reception of the rod, the opposite arms 4 and 5 extending laterallyin the same direction from the eye and of different lengths, and the spring-jaws 6 and 7, carried at the outer ends of the respective arms and disposed at substantially right angles thereto. Thus a bracket is formed which has a pair of spring-jaws to grip or embrace the upper edge of the pot, as shown in Fig. 1, the inner jaw being thrust into the earth, and a laterally-otfsetloop or eye for the reception of the rod or standard. It is preferred to form the bracket from a single length of stiff spring-wire, so as to snugly hug the edge of the pot, and thereby form a rigid support for the standard.

Upon the intermediate or upper portion of the standard there is adj ustably mounted a plant-embracing frame 8, (shown in detail in Figs. 2 and 3,) .and preferablyin the form ofa ring or band formed from a single length of stiff wire bent into a ring and having its opposite end portions interconnected to form a complete ring and then formed into springcoils 9 and 10, respectively, which are disposed one above the other in substantially the same vertical plane and angular-1y related, so that when they receive the standard they are brought into substantial vertical alinement, whereby the coils have a frictional grip or bearing upon the standard sufficient to support the frame against accidentally slipping downwardly upon the standard and at the same time permit the frame to be manually slid upon the rod to raise or lower it for the accommodation of plants of different heights. As best indicated in Fig. 3, it will be seen that one end portion of the wire frame is di rected radially outward to form a shank 11,

while the other end portion is twisted around the former, as indicated at 12, so that the two parts form a stiff shank for the frame. At regular intervals around the inner periphery of the frame there are provided loops or eyes 13, formed by bending the wire-frame, and a suitable cord 14 is laced through these eyes, so as to form a skeleton frame to which vines may be connected or through the openings of which the stems of plants may be projected to support them in an upright position.

As indicated in Fig. 1, the stem of a plant may be conveniently received within the central opening formed by the laced cords, and the marginal edge of this central opening is yieldable elastically, so as to take a plurality of stems and also yield to the growth thereof, thereby preventing injury to the plants and automatically accommodating itself to the growth of the plants. By lacing the cord in a different manner through the eyes 13 the size of the central opening may be varied to accommodate any particular plant.

In some instances it may not be desirable to use the laced cords, and therefore it is designed to employ the form of frame shown in Fig. 5, which comprises a wire band 15 without the marginal series of loops, the ends of the wire being normally sprung apart and formed into the spring loops or coils 16 and 17, respectively, which are to be applied to the standard in the manner explained for the former frame. Moreovenwhen the lacing is used the frame is provided with a plurality of openings for the reception of different stems, whereby a plurality of plants may be supported by a single device, as plainly illustrated in Fig. 1 of the drawings.

What is claimed is- 1. A plant-support, comprising a standard, and a plant-embracin g frame carried thereby, having cords laced across the frame and producing a skeleton formation, the openings of which have yieldable edges.

2. A plant-support, having a frame formed by a wire ring, which has a series of eyes formed therein, and cords laced back and forth through the eyes and producing a skeleton interior structure, the openings of which have yieldable edges.

3. A plant-support, consisting of a standard, and a plant-embracing frame formed of eeaeee wire, having its opposite end portions twisted into an external shank portion, the terminals of the wire being formed into corresponding elongated terminal standard'embracing members which lie one above the other.

4. A plant-support, consisting of a standard, a wire plant-embracing frame, and a standard-engaging frictional clamp consisting of Wire terminals having intermediate i11- terlocked portions, and extremities arranged in helical coils having their axes arranged in normal non-alinement, whereby when said coils are fitted upon the standard in an endto-end relative position they will tend to resume their normal position and thereby exert an opposing gripping action on the stand ard to prevent accidental displacement.

5. A plant-support, consisting of a standard-carryingresilient pot-engaging means, and a plant-embracing frame formedof wire, and having its opposite end portions twisted into an external shank portion, the terminals of the wire being formed into corresponding elongated terminal standard-embracing memhers disposed one above the other.

6. A plant-support, consisting of a standard, a wire plant-embracing frame, and a standard-engaging frictional clamp consist in g of wire terminals arranged in helical coils, the axes of which, when the coils are in j uxtaposed relation, are disposed at an angle to each other, whereby when brought into axial alinement by engagement with the standard, they will grip the same and hold the frame at the desired adjustment.

In testimony that we claim the foregoing as our own we have hereto affixed our signatures in the presence of two Witnesses.

WILLIAM F. SPRINGER. OTTO J. SPRINGER. WVitnesses:

F. P. SPRINGER, Gus GOEHLKE. 

